


Bending Iron

by friendlyneighborhoodirondad



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Angst, Bending (Avatar), Family Feels, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Found Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-04-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:54:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23538688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/friendlyneighborhoodirondad/pseuds/friendlyneighborhoodirondad
Summary: Avatar: The Last Airbender AU"So you're the airbender. Wind-boy. Sticky-kid?""...Spider-man.""Right."
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 5
Kudos: 79





	Bending Iron

Tony steps out of his Audi, ignoring stares from people on the sidewalk. He can tell this is the type of neighborhood that has probably never seen a car of his caliber in the wild. Before he makes his way up to the fifth floor, he bends the metal modifications on the undercarriage to dig into the ground. He wants to come back down to see his car still parked there after all.

After knocking on apartment door 503, conversing politely with Ms. Parker, and making his way down the hall to a surprisingly neutral-smelling teenage boy's room, Tony locks the door behind Peter. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, but I definitely didn't apply for your scholarship," the boy says, messing around with his desk to avoid eye contact.

"I know, Mr. Parker. I came to talk to you about... this," Tony says, pulling up a video of Queens' newest vigilante.

"Um, what? W-Why?"

"That's you, isn't it?"

"N-No, no. You know that's all fake, right? They put crazy stuff on YouTube all the time-"

"Mm hm," Tony says, turning and looking around the modest room. He wanders a few steps as the kid continues to ramble. Tony bends his watch into a thin pole and pokes at the crawl space. Peter blasts past Tony as a bundle of red and blue sweats falls from the ceiling. "Well, what do we have here?"

Peter shoves the fabric into his hamper and blocks Tony's view with his body. His already messy hair is mussed further when he turns around. He blows out a breath and tries to tame his hair, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"So you're the airbender. Wind-boy. Sticky-kid?"

"...Spider-man."

"Right."

~%~

Peter flattens against the ground to avoid the furious flames. He's surprised he doesn't lose his eyebrows. Peter tries to flip back to his feet, but the ground rises around his arms, trapping them against the ground. Thinking fast, Peter uses his legs to garner up a blast of air. He directs the gale towards his opponent and uses his super-strength to break out of his stone cuffs.

Captain America staggers back but holds fast. The blast only threw him off for a second or two, but it was enough for Peter to free himself. He jumps to his feet, chest pushed out in pride. It's not everyday you hold your own against the Avatar.

Then all of a sudden the jetway is quickly approaching his head. Peter sticks his arms up in time to catch it, straining to hold it above his head.

"Airbender, huh? You've got heart, kid. Where you from?"

"Queens."

"Brooklyn."

~%~

"Thanks, Mr. Stark, but I'm good."

"You're... good? What do you mean 'good'?"

"I wanna look out for the little guy, you know?"

"You airbenders are too pure for your own good. You've got a working class, Springsteiny kinda vibe that I dig. Now, run along with Happy, he'll take you home."

"Thanks again, Mr. Stark."

"Of course, Mr. Parker. We'll be in touch."

And Peter actually believes him this time. There's a smile on his face the whole ride home. The next day, there's a brown paper bag on his bed signed "TS". It's also the day May finds out about his secret arachnid life. Tony Stark is at their apartment in the next 20 minutes.

~%~

Peter grunts and pants as he swings to the Tower. He bends the air for less resistance and faster travel. He finally makes it to the balcony landing before collapsing. "You seem to be in distress, Mr. Parker," Friday says as Peter clutches at his bleeding abdomen. "According to the Boo-Boo Protocol, I must inform boss."

He just groans in response.

After what seems like hours, a figure rushes to his side. Something presses against his wound hard. Peter grunts, barely feeling anything.

"Oh my- Can you hear me, Parker?"

More grunts.

"Peter?!"

"Wwwhat?"

"What the actual fu- uh, heck? Why didn't your AI tell me you were freaking shot?!"

"Might've messed with Karen... Told 'er not t' be a snitch."

"Of course you did, why do I even try? And Karen, really? Alright, hold still." Mr. Stark pulls back whatever he was holding against the bullet hole and holds his hand over it. He takes in a slow breath then releases it slowly. The hand gently presses against Peter's side. A second later, he feels something moving deep inside him. Whatever it is, it's slowly making its way towards Mr. Stark's palm. Peter whimpers as something rubs against the inside of the bullet wound, and a calming hand runs through his hair. Another 10 seconds later, Mr. Stark removes his hand. The man sits back and breathes a sigh of relief. Something about the sound makes Peter settle.

Something small and metal clinks against the ground near Peter's ear. He shifts his head and sees... a bloody bullet. "Oh. Neat," he breathes then promptly passes out.

~%~

Peter watches as Mr. Stark bends the metal of his suit until it's perfect. He's only worked in the lab about a dozen times, but he can already tell Mr. Stark doesn't settle for anything less than perfection. "You're gonna burn a hole through me if you keep staring," the man sudden says, turning to give Peter an amused look.

Hot blush rushes across his face. "Sorry, sir."

"No, no, don't worry about it. You're here to learn, and what's better than watching the best?"

Peter rolls his eyes. "So I should be watching, oh I don't know, Colonel Rhodes?"

Mr. Stark laughs and turns fully to face Peter. He learned quickly in his first couple sessions that Mr. Stark appreciates someone to joke around and throw jabs with. On only his second lab visit, he made a comparison between the Iron Man suit and a Coke can. He had immediately thrown a hand over his mouth and cursed himself for his lack of filter. To his immense relief, Mr. Stark had laughed and heartily patted him on the back.

"Alright, kid, what's so interesting that you can't take your eyes off me?" Mr. Stark asks, bringing Peter back to the present.

"It's just... I-It's your bending, sir."

"What about it?"

"It's, like, really cool."

"And you, like, don't, like, do the same, like?"

Peter groans and rolls his eyes. "Well, yeah, but you're a metalbender. Do you know how awesome that is? There's only been like three in all of history."

"And you're an airbender/spider guy. I'm pretty sure you're the first of your kind."

"I mean, I guess... Um, is it true you learned how to metalbend when-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, kid," Mr. Stark says, suddenly looking very uncomfortable. "I, uh, like to keep that secret to myself. Don't want to ruin the mystique."

"Oh, of course. I didn't mean to-"

"I know you didn't. I just... don't like to talk about it."

"I understand." There's an awkward silence for a few seconds. But Peter just can't hold back his questions. "So how similar is metal to earth? Like, how much harder is it to bend metal than earth? 'Cause one time Ned dared me to bend whipped cream and I couldn't do it."

"...Whipped cream?"

"Yeah, his theory was that the cream had little bits of air in it because it's whipped. If you can bend metal because it has little bits of earth in it, I should be able to do the same with whipped cream. We figured the two were analogous."

"I hate to say this, but... that's not entirely insane," Mr. Stark says slowly. "At first it was very difficult, trying to sense the bits of earth in the metal. But I tried again and again, and eventually I found earth where there should have been none. It took a few days to learn how to control, but now that I know what to look for, metalbending is just as easy as vanilla earthbending."

"Awesome," Peter says lowly, eyes wide. "So you're saying it might be possible to whipped-cream-bend?"

"I don't know, I guess. What's with all the questions, kid? Don't you have an airbender you can ask?"

Peter ducks his head and bites his lip. "No, sir. My dad was an airbender, but he died when I was a baby. My aunt and uncle took me in, but they can't bend."

"Oh... Damn, I'm sorry, kid. That sucks."

"Eh, it happened a long time ago."

"Still, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed. Hell, my dad was an earthbender, and he didn't teach me sh- crap."

"You can curse, Mr. Stark, I don't mind," Peter says with a half smile.

"Oh, thank god," he huffs, putting an over dramatic hand over his chest.

Peter can't help but laugh. Mr. Stark smiles at him then turns back to the suit. Peter takes that to mean the conversation's over, so he turns back to his work again but is interrupted. "And kid?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"If you need someone to talk to about bending or superhero shit or whatever... I'm here."

Peter's heart warms, eyes getting misty. "Oh, yeah, okay cool, thanks."

"If you're good, I might even teach you how to bend whipped cream."

Peter grins, not even ashamed of how excited he is at the prospect.

~%~

"Nice jersey, kid."

"Oh, uh, thanks."

"Didn't peg you as the sports type. No offense," Tony quickly tacks on. The kid loves to joke, but he can still be a little sensitive and self-conscious.

"No worries, Mr. Stark," Peter laughs. "It was my uncle's. We used to watch the Pro-Bending World Cup together, but he would watch every New York Cheetahhound match without fail. Even the years where they went 68 games without a win."

"Talk about loyalty."

"Yeah."

_Way to bring the mood down, Stark. Bringing up the dead uncle..._

Things are awkwardly quiet, so Tony's mind races with _fix it fix it fix it_. Finally, a idea pops into his head, so he just blurts it out. "The World Cup's this year, yeah? In Portugal?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"No reason. I think Pepper wants me in Europe around that time, so why don't we make a stop in Portugal for a game or two?"

"That sounds like fun, Mr. Stark. I'm sure Pepper would love that."

"No no, I meant _we_ as in the two people in this room."

"Oh, yeah, of course, that makes-" Peter suddenly gasps and drops his tools to turn to face Tony. "Wh-What?! You'd take me to Europe?! To go to the _World Cup_?!"

"Yeah, that's what I just said."

"Ooooooh my god, oh my god, oh my _goooood_! This is so crazy, I think I'm gonna cry."

"Um, crying's not necessary. A simple 'thank you' and handshake will do."

"No, this is the World Cup. This calls for tears and hugs," Peter says, already sniffling.

"Nononono, I don't do hugs. Especially from snotty teenagers. Not another step, or I'll-!"

Tony's protests are cut off when two twig arms wrap themselves around his middle and squeeze with surprising strength. "Thank you so much, Mr. Stark."

"Alright, alright." Tony pats the boy on the head a few times then gently pushes him away. "You still have to ask May if it's okay. She might say no after the last time I took you to Europe."

"No, she'll definitely say yes. She'll probably want to come too, though."

"That's perfect, actually. She and Pep can hang out while we get our pro-bending on."

"Oh my god, I need to sit down for a minute," Peter huffs, excitement still twinkling in his eyes.

 _Did I really just call them twinkling? What is this kid doing to me?_ Tony thinks to himself with an amount of fondness he would never tell anyone about.

~%~

"Again, Parker!" Tony calls across the training gym.

Peter pulls himself to his feet and shakily shifts into a fighting stance. He looks bone tired, but he still has a look of determination in his eye. Tony's not sure he's ever seen the kid without it during their training sessions. The sparing bots spool up and start their sequence. Well, randomized pattern of movements. If there was a set sequence, the trainee could just memorize it and be falsely confident in their abilities. That's the last thing he wants for Peter. If Peter got hurt in the field because Tony didn't prepare him well enough...

Tony shakes his head. _Don't think about it. It's not going to happen, he'll be fine._

Peter deflects the bots' attacks well enough. His bending skills are really improving. He's used to relying on just his webs and strength, but he won't always be in a position to use those. And, yeah, airbending is the complete opposite of earthbending, but a lot of the basic techniques can be applied across all bending disciplines. Poor kid's never had anyone even tell him about the importance of breath. That's like step one!

A sheet of air slices through a boulder then swings around and blocks a fire strike. Then the kid spins around and uses his new melee skills for a take down. Tony nods to himself. The kid's not an expert yet, but he can hold his own. It takes a minute longer than the last round to take him down. A stone thrown from above strays a little too close to the kid's head for comfort and an ice shard narrowly misses his leg, but it's a rubber bullet glancing off his shoulder that terminates the program.

The kid lays on the ground, panting and holding his shoulder. He only opens his eyes when Tony's standing over him. "How'd I do, sir?" Peter asks.

"Pretty good. How's that feel?"

"Eh, I've had worse."

"That's not an answer."

"It's like a 3 out of 10. It's really not that bad."

"Mm hm. I think we're done for the day. Let's get you some ice, then we'll cool down together."

"Aw, I was just getting the hang of that sharp exhale technique. Can I go one more time, please?"

"Nope. What's the number one rule of the dojo?"

"Mr. Stark knows everything, always. Never question him," Peter grumbles, accepting a hand up.

"That's right. You did a good job, kid. These things aren't perfected in one day."

After taping down an ice pack to Peter's shoulder, mentor and mentee flow through the basic recharging bending movements. There's no actual bending involved, but they do the ancient movements to find their chi. As Tony breathes and steps in time with the kid, he thinks back to learning the movements with Jarvis. The butler wasn't even a bender, but he learned about recharging chi from his old school buddies. Tony had fallen out of the practice of recharging during his college years, but he worked with Yinsen in that godforsaken metal cell to recenter his chi. Now, Tony knows it's his turn to pass on the knowledge to the next generation. If not for the kid (which isn't true, but just bear with it for a minute), he would do it in memory of the two greatest men he's had the pleasure to know.

The pair finish up their movements by facing each other and bowing. "Thank you, Mr. Stark," Peter says, straightening up.

"Eh, it's not a problem, kid," Tony responds in his customary way of deflecting the boy's sincerity. "You don't have to thank me."

"No, I do. You don't have to teach me anything, but you do it anyway. That warrants a thank you."

"Anyone would do the same."

"Not really. You're just a cool mentor."

"Alright, agree to disagree."

Peter rolls his eyes with a smile and bounds out of the room. "First to the kitchen gets to choose what we watch while we eat!" he calls over his shoulder.

Tony shakes his head fondly. "That little dumbass..."

~%~

Peter feels himself hanging on to the side of the space doughnut by a thread. He tries to give himself a better grip by using the air to boost him upwards, but he slips even further when the air barely responds. Speaking of air... "It's getting hard to breathe," he pants, ripping his mask off to try and pull more air in.

"You're getting too high, you're running out of air. Time to let go, Pete. I'll catch you," comes Mr. Stark's voice over comms.

Peter nods. "Oh, that makes sense."

Then his stickiness fails him, and he's plummeting back to earth. Peter's vision is almost completely black when something slams into his back. A weird sensation flows over his body, almost like cool metal is being poured over him. Whatever it is gives him an oxygen boost, letting him flip around and reattach himself to the space doughnut. He even strikes a cool Spider-man pose when he lands. He takes another deep breath and catches Mr. Stark hovering overhead. "Whoa, it smells like a new car in here!"

"Yep. Happy trails, kid."

And there must be some air lingering on the edge of the atmosphere, because the parachute activating drags him off the doughnut. "Oh, come on!"

Thinking fast, Peter shoots a web to attach to the back of the doughnut. He tells Karen to detach the parachute and starts to reel himself in. "Should have just stayed on the bus..."

~%~

The cabin feels empty. The change of scenery is nice and all, but... something's off. Something's been off for the whole universe after Titan, but there's one whole in Tony's heart that's putting his entire life on hold. He shakes his head, banishing the warmth of the kid's smile. Instead he turns on the TV.

Tony's been avoiding news channels since forever, but now it's especially a rule. Nothing good is ever on the news. Tony sighs as he flips past boring daytime dramas and old airings of catty celebrity talk shows. Nothing new is being filmed right now, not with half the world gone. Everything is on hold indefinitely. That being said, Tony is surprised to see something live playing on one of the various sports channels. His heart stops when he reads _Pro-Bending World Cup_ in the top right of the screen.

Stopping was a mistake.

Grasping at his chest, Tony sinks to the ground. It feels like something sharp and hot is stabbing him and twisting in his chest. He and Peter were supposed to be in Portugal in a week or two. Tony had bought two front row, sideline tickets for the US v. Venezuela match. Peter had said Venezuela was a favorite this year, but the news feed at the bottom of the screen says the two star players are missing and likely blipped. They might withdraw if the entire tournament doesn't get cancelled.

Tony watches the screen blankly. Every throw and deflect drains him of more energy and emotion until the screen shuts off. Tony blinks, barely reacting. Pepper places the remote back on the side table and sits on the couch next to him. She doesn't say anything, doesn't ask what's wrong. Tony's sure she already knows. Pepper pulls him in slowly, wrapping her warm arms around him. He's not ashamed to say he breaks down right there, face pressed into her shoulder. He'll never be ashamed of anything relating to Peter.

~%~

Peter's mind is in the next room as he floats a plush ball through the air. Pepper, Rhodey, May, Happy, and various Avengers are distributed around the waiting room watch on in various states of duress. Mr. Stark was flown off the battlefield quickly after his snap. Everyone rushed after him, wanting to be the first to hear the news, good or bad.

The ball is snatched out of the air by tiny hands. Peter blinks and refocuses on the dark haired, light skinned little girl in front of him. Happy had brought her to the hospital, and Pepper immediately picked her up for a bone crushing hug. His spider-hearing picks up the name Morgan. And there's no denying she's a Stark.

"Do it again!" Morgan says, running up to Peter with the ball.

With a flick of his wrist, Peter bends the air to gently pull the ball from her fingers and into the air. She giggles and reaches for the ball dancing above her head. Peter wants to smile, but he can't bring himself to feel anything but dread.

"I can't bend yet. Daddy says I might inherit his earthbend, but I shouldn't be sad if I don't."

Peter nods silently, eyes focused on the ball.

"I don't think I wanna be an earthbender anyway. I wanna be a firebender."

"Why's that?" he asks quietly.

"I don't know. I just think it's cooler."

Peter can't help but snort at that.

"What's so funny?" she asks, looking mildly offended.

"Oh, nothing. I kinda agree with you. Firebending is pretty cool."

"Yeah! It's so pretty. Earth is not pretty. One time, I sawed a show on TV with firebenders and they were really cool."

"What'd they do?"

"They were dancing with fire! I like to dance, but I don't like ballet or tap or hip hop. I took those classes, and I didn't like it."

"So what kind of dance do you like?"

"Daddy calls it 'Morgan-style'. I made it up all by myself. There's no classes for it yet. I made Daddy check."

"Well, can I get a demonstration in the mean time, oh great dance master?" Peter asks, mock bowing to the giggly little girl. He can feel the eyes of everyone in the room watching the pair interact. He even catches a few fond smiles. Pepper is discreetly trying to wipe a tear.

"Of course! It goes like this!" Morgan takes a few steps back and starts jumping and flailing her arms around.

"Oh, wow! Are there any other moves?" Peter asks, holding back a laugh.

"These _are_ the other moves!"

"Oh, so sorry, Miss Stark. My eyes were unprepared to witness such beauty," he says dramatically, placing the back of his hand against his forehead.

Morgan giggles, "You're silly!" She then rushes to his side and insistently pulls at his arm. "Come dance with me! I'll show you how to do it!"

Peter laughs and allows Morgan to pull him to his feet. They take a few steps into the center of the waiting room, and Morgan starts jamming to the music in her head. He absently wonders what kind of music Morgan-style is set to. Peter feels the rest of the room's eyes on the happy pair in the middle. Pepper has a sad smile on her face.

"No, Ryan, you're doing it wrong! It's like _this_."

"Uh, my name's not Ryan. It's Peter."

"Oh. You look like a Ryan." Morgan twirls a couple times before facing him again. "Wait, Peter? That's my brother's name!"

Peter's heart stops. "Brother...?"

"Yeah, his name's Peter. He died before I was born, but Daddy put his picture up in the kitchen. You look a lot like him."

And before Peter can process that bombshell, a woman in a white lab coat pushes through the triage center's double doors. Everyone sighs a collective breath of relief when she offers a warm smile.

_Mr. Stark's alive._

~%~

"I want more popcorn."

"Well, go get some."

"No, I don't wanna."

"I thought you were a big girl? That's what you were saying this morning, right?"

"I am a big girl! I just don't wanna get it!"

"Alright, alright," Peter says, putting a calming hand on Morgan's head. He doesn't want to rile her up too much, it's hard to cool her off. "One popcorn refill coming up. Keep my spot warm."

Morgan lays herself down over the spot Peter was occupying a moment before. "Hurry up!"

"Wow. Rude. Maybe I'll trade you out for a new little sister."

"No! I'm sorry, Petey!"

"Hm, I guess I forgive you."

"Thank you!"

And so Peter makes his way into the cabin's kitchen to put another bag of popcorn into the microwave. The rest of the cabin is empty as Mr. and Mrs. Potts-Stark are off on a weekend getaway with May and Happy. Peter has never been happier to not have been invited on vacation. He'd need a shit-ton of eye bleach to get through that.

Peter is ripped from his thoughts by the fire alarm.

He lifts his head, eyes locking on the living room couch. _Morgan._ "Morgan?! MORGAN!" he shouts, vaulting over the kitchen island when she doesn't respond. His feet squeak against the hardwood floor as he skids around the corner. His heart restarts when he finds Morgan right where he left her. "Oh, thank god. Come on, Momo, let's grab our coats and phones and get outside."

Morgan finally meets his eyes, confused. "But I put it out already!"

"...What?"

"See?" She points to the blackened hole in the couch, wisps of smoke still curling towards the ceiling.

"Uh, yeah, what? How?! I know you've learned fire safety in school, why did you- And why was the _couch on fire_?!"

"I sneezed, and it was there."

"Wha- I- You- How-" Peter feels like his mind is melting. The implications of her innocent little statement. The fucking skull piercing fire alarm. Peter feels like his mind is melting. "Let's just... go outside. We'll call the fire department and... your parents, oh god, your _parents_. They're gonna kill me."

The pair quickly scurry outside with their shoes and coats. Peter presses the "Tony (Savior of the Universe) Stark" contact and waits with bated breath as it rings.

Mr. Stark picks up with a deep sigh then asks, "Is anyone bleeding, vomiting, or choking?"

"Well, no-"

"Is anyone dying in an otherwise unstated fashion?"

"No, but-"

"Is the car totaled, or is the house on fire?"

"Yes, actually."

"Then I'm hanging- Wait, what? Yes?!"

"The fire alarms went off."

"Why?!"

"Um, we don't know."

"You don't know?! Where are you, did you call 911, should we come home-?"

"Nononono, we're okay. We're outside, nobody's hurt. The fire's already out, everything's okay. Take a couple deep breaths."

Peter hears some rustling on the other end. He can just pick up Pepper and May's concerned voices over Mr. Stark's breathing. While the talk Mr. Stark down, Peter turns around to quickly check in on Morgan and screams.

She turns to face him, dual flames resting in her palms. The flickering light brightens her face as she cheerfully says, "Look Petey! Fire!"

"Pete, what's going on?!" Mr. Stark yells into his sensitive ear.

"I'm gonna have to call you back," Peter gets out before hanging up and dropping the phone. He conjures a gust of wind to blow out the flames.

Morgan shrieks and reaches up to fix her hair. "Petey, my hair! You have to tie it up again, you messed it up!"

"I will, I will. Let me see your hands, Mo." She offers them up with a huff and a pout. He examines her hands carefully and thoroughly, but he doesn't see any burns or blisters. _But that must mean... But that's not possible..._

"There's nothing there. I'm a firebender! 'Member when I told you I wanted to be a firebender? My wish came true!"

"Yeah... firebender..."

"Now I'm like you and Daddy! Boom!" She punches her arm to the side and a surprisingly big flame bursts from her fist. She cheers excitedly and punches again, sending an arch of fire into the air above them.

Reflexively, Peter pulls up a shield of air to protect the two of them. He grabs Morgan's arms and presses them to her sides. "Okay, okay, very cool, but you need to stop. You're very new to this, so you don't know how to control it yet. It's not a bad thing, all benders have to go through this. It's for safety, okay? No bending until your parents get home."

"But Petey..." she whines, going limp and draping herself over his chest. "I just wanna be like you."

"Nice try, Morgie-Porgie, but that's not going to work. You could actually burn the house down."

"I can just get rid of the fire like I did last time."

"You got lucky last time."

"Nuh-uh, it was on purpose! I'm a firebending pro-gy."

" _Prodigy_ , Mo."

"That's what I said."

"Mm-hm. No firebending." Morgan groans as Peter turns and hunts through the grass for his phone. "Now to figure out a way to tell your parents..." he murmurs to himself as he brushes the dirt off his screen to see _19 missed calls from Tony (Savior of the Universe) Stark_

Everyone's home in the next 24 hours. The fire department did eventually show up but not for the couch. It's easy to burn popcorn when nobody's in the house to smell it. As for Morgan's apparent impossible abilities, it turns out Pepper's aunt was a firebender but since the trait wasn't passed on to the next generation, Tony and Pepper had never considered it an option. Needless to say, Mr. Stark immediately purchases all new, fire-proof furniture.

~%~

"Oh, box seats! This is cool, Mr. Stark!" Peter says, stepping ahead of the rest of the crew. He gets to the center of the room and spins around a few times.

"Of course, buddy. Look who you're talking to," Tony says, throwing an arm around Pepper and pressing a kiss to her hair. His children's happiness makes him want to float into the rafters. He feels giddy.

"Wow, do they bring food and drinks to you and stuff?" Morgan asks excitedly from Rhodey's arms.

"Your wish is their command, kiddo," May says from under Happy's arm.

The crew spreads out and claims their seats. The rest of the stadium starts filling in below them. The jerseys are 50% US, 50% Belgium. This match was a hot ticket, but nothing's impossible for Tony Stark. Not if one of his kids want something.

Speaking of which... Tony makes his way over to Peter who is currently entertaining Morgan on his lap. He takes it in stride when she accidentally elbows him in the face. Tony taps his shoulder and motions to the suite's door. Peter nods and pawns his sister off to May. Tony pulls the kid right outside the door and prefaces his surprise with the statement, "Now, I don't want to hear that 'this is too much' or 'you shouldn't have done that'. Just accept it, okay?"

"Mr. Stark..." Peter says rolling his eyes, "just tell me."

Tony pulls two mid-court, sideline tickets out of his pockets. A hard find for the first World Cup after everyone reappeared.

Peter's eyes bulge out of their sockets. "I... I-I just... this is too much-"

"What was my one stipulation, huh?"

"I'm sorry, but it's true! These are crazy expensive, and... we already have the box, we can't-"

"We can, and we will. Don't make me sit down there by myself. Remember the NBA finals?"

"How could I forget? Anyway... you're sure you don't want to sit with Pepper or Morgan or something?"

"Pete. I bought these so we can watch together, just the two of us. And... I know this was something you wanted to do with your uncle, and I don't want to intrude on your-"

The kid (20 years old now, but still a kid) shoots forward and hugs him tightly. "I'd love to sit with you, Mr. Stark. I love you like I loved Ben. I just... love you so much. And I know you love me, because I know big crowds make you nervous ever since Morgan was born. I know you'd rather be in the box."

"No, I'd rather be with you."

"Awwwww. Who says earthbenders are made of stone? You're just a squishy teddy bear."

"Alright, that's enough hugging enough for me. You airbenders are all hippies with you're openness and... touchy-feelies."

"Yeah, yeah, let's get to our seats! I wanna be there early in case they shoot some t-shirts out of a cannon! I can hypothetically use my airbending to... Don't look at me like that! It's not cheating!"

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I just watched the entirety of ATLA. Thanks quarantine! The show is one of my favorites, please watch it if you haven't. The world-building is amazing, and the action and animation is superb. And more characters of color and badass women is always a plus.
> 
> Also, I know "recharging chi" isn't a thing. I just liked the idea of Peter and Tony going through movements together. I love the scenes where Iroh is training Zuko to redirect lightning. It's just cute.


End file.
